Electric storage batteries typically employ one or the other of two general types of terminals. One type has an internal, typically threaded, opening for receiving a fastener (e.g., bolt) which holds the battery cable in place. One such terminal is disclosed in Rowls et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,730. The other type employs an external post projecting outwardly from the battery which post may comprise a threaded stud for mating with an eyelet on the battery cable or a tapered/conical post often referred to as an SAE terminal post and described in SAE Standard J-537. Some replacement SLI batteries have both types of terminals.
Rowls et al type terminals are protected from damage by virtue of their being recessed within the container wall. External post type terminals, however, are susceptible to impact damage which can interfere with their ability to properly receive an appropriate cable connector. Moreover, external terminals, being more exposed, can result in the inadvertent discharge of the battery incident to short circuiting of the terminals. Accordingly, battery manufacturers commonly provide such posts with protective caps.
It is common practice in the battery industry that the positive terminal post have a larger diameter than the negative terminal post (see SAE J-537) so as to prevent attachment of the wrong (i.e., opposite polarity) cable connectors thereto.
As a result, at least two different sized protective caps were heretofore required for each set of external terminal posts. This required not only the need to inventory two different caps but also two different sets of tooling for manufacturing such caps. Moreover, valuable production was lost in changing over from one set of tooling to the next.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unique, universal, one piece expandable battery terminal post protective cap which is adaptable to terminals having different diameters. This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows.